March 31, 2017

Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-objective-truth has not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by learning other people’s experiences and observations. The comment box below invites sharing facts, opinion, or concern. If you like the wok, share with people who may be interested.
Note:  I often connect words in a phrase with the dash in order to represent an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth without addressing possible error or attempting to balance the expression.
 

The Advocate:  See online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge

Our Views. It saddens me that my hometown newspaper volunteers to represent the Democrat side of this story, even though the complete story has been known all along. 

The GOP reviewed history and concluded that, as in the past, the voters should be able to influence the nominee. Therefore, rather than review Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination, they elected to wait until the next president had been elected. The Democrats bitterly failed to win the election. The voters had their say, and Garland was not rejected by the Senate.

Consider, for example, in 1968, Justice Abe Fortas was nominated under the objection that action should await the presidential election, but the president acted anyway. The “nomination failed . . . on the basis of an individualized assessment of Fortas’s qualifications to be chief justice,” on the Senate floor.” See nytimes.com/2016/06/14/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-merrick-garland.html?_r=0 .

 
President Obama, aware of this possibility, acted in Obama interest, but the GOP saved Garland the possibility of negative Senate opinion on qualifications.

The Advocate has more freedom than I do to publish civically moral opinion, or public-integrity. Also, The Advocate is as aware as I am that readers have other sources by which they can discover the-objective-truth. I hope there is public-integrity in future Baton Rouge.

Today’s thought Psalms 77:11-12. In distress, David is awed by nature such as thunder and lightning and calls on the Lord of the past. I’m not certain what either David or Dean mean by “mediate,” but think it implies judge and adjust personal behavior so as to benefit.

In David’s context, that means discover and understand nature and make best use of the understanding. It’s alright with me for Dean to view conformity to discovered-nature as “the goodness of God” and being “blessed,” but it is not alright for theism to be imposed on civil order.

Letters

Don’t trust government (Thompson) Thompson hit the nail on the head: Don’t trust government!

 

That was Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s message to his church in 2003 when he concluded with his infamous “flag burning” metaphor. Wright preaches that his flock should turn to Jesus and Jesus is black.

Abraham Lincoln said in 1861, “Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world?”

I modify that quote to “justice of a civic people,” where “civic” refers to people who mutually collaborate to live in this place rather than FOR this place. In other words, civic morality rather than social morality.

I assert that a civic people trust and commit to the preamble to the constitution for the USA in order to identify dissidents. A civic people don't lie so that civic responders don't respond to a lie; in other words, they communicate rather than stonewalling each other. A civic people take care of grandchildren (“posterity” in the preamble). Thus, the people who are running up the debt are dissidents to civic morality.

 
What entity do you say is responsible for civic morality?

Don’t blame Luther (Button) It’s promotion of business predicated on mystery. Only persons of propriety are qualified to divine Button’s arguments, so I write to share my ignorance and hope for a helping comment.

Button claims to represent the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus. That historical group would initially include Muslims and Jews but finally assign the comfort of cheap grace to Christians. Perhaps Button refutes antinomianism, which John seems to suggest in John 6:39.

Button may refute Jesus when he truncates Matthew’s report to “Repent.” I like to truncate John’s report that Jesus said: Be perfect. I think Jesus may have meant, “Phil, like other humans, you may perfect your unique person.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson’s claim.)

But Button and Singleton debate Christian morality or “triumphing over, sin, death, and the power of the devil.” I do not think mystery-promotion helps civic morality.

Congress unpopular (Holcomb) Congressmen represent their constituents. Therefore, I read “public opinion considers [we, the people] only slightly higher than pond scum.”

“We, the people” seems that dysfunctional but may reform after more than 228 years under neglect. We think 2/3 of the people want civic morality rather than social morality, where “civic” refers to conversation for mutual security to live here now rather than live for the place, the tradition, the government, an ideology or anything but the-objective-truth. What has been neglected is the trust and commitment to a civic sentence: the preamble to the constitution for the USA. The 2/3 representatives who signed that sentence live on in today’s population.

For example, 2/3 of the people think abortion should legal in the first trimester (gallup.com/poll/9658/americans-agree-banning-partialbirth-abortion.aspx); ¾ think security is more important than freedom (apnorc.org/projects/Pages/HTML%20Reports/americans-evaluate-the-balance-between-security-and-civil-liberties1222-4187.aspx); 2/3 think war is sometimes necessary (gallup.com/poll/1666/military-national-defense.aspx); over 2/3 think the federal budget should be balanced (townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/03/22/poll-85-percent-of-americans-say-a-balanced-federal-budget-should-be-required-n1546480).

Turn your pet over to better-equipped strangers (Cooper) Forgive me, but I read this as a stranger pleading with a person to give up his pet. 

 

If I had not let my children own pets I probably would think about it more practically. I like the way the pets respond to the children, too, even though they are now adults.

Walter Williams column. Mayor Broome’s racism-and-religion-advisors may read this column. 

 

Gov. John Bel Edwards is also not immune to Williams’ evidences. 

 

Also, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus may disband to join We the Civic People of the United States—those who trust and commit to the civic morality stated in the preamble to the constitution for the USA.

In the meantime, St. George City might emerge as soon as possible. But I will not move.

Robert Samuelson column. Using “government as a massive slush fund . . . is now woven into the social and political fabric.”

Samuelson lists 14%, 29% and 31% reductions the Trump administration budgeted, then claims that the leader who can “shift public opinion” is “nowhere in sight.”

Why can’t syndicated writers give President Trump a little help?

Stephanie Grace column.  It’s logical that Edwards mentions “commitments to [TOPS] people,” and passes over flood victims.

To him, that’s a federal responsibility no matter how slowly and perhaps corruptly (cooperating with $ .25 billion or more taking from the $1.6 billion) Gov. Edwards takes action.

It seems there’s handwriting on the wall:  The fed is going to push every budget it can out to the states, where the slush fund in the sky can be viewed by the people who actually fund it and their elected representatives. It is not too late for The Advocate and writers they allow to suggest prudent caution.

Michael Gerson column.  For the first time this year, IMO, Gerson has the right idea, but as usual has not proposed a solution. The solution to religious neutrality was here all the time: The civic agreement stated in the preamble to the constitution for the USA, which the religious right falsely labeled “secular” when it is areligious, or neutral to religion.

The tax vote for the Council on Aging should never have been presented to the voters (Page 1B). To Chucky Moos: The Metro-Council should never have approved a vote on this tax. I hope they can undo their invitation to woe.

 

The Advocate advised “No” vote; theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_e358c318-a064-11e6-b368-87af356ad67f.html. BRAC advised “No” vote; businessreport.com/article/brac-ballot-measures-no-council-aging-yes-tuition-autonomy-higher-ed. NOLA advised “No” vote: http://www.nola.com/opinions/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2016/05/council_on_aging_metro_council.html and reviews how the Metro-Council shirked its responsibility by approving a vote by the people.

I hope the Metro-Council has the legal means to undo its evil.

 

BESE votes (Page 1B). What’s with these last minute changes on a vote that was so contested, delayed, and celebrated?

Just when I imagined hope for some sense coming from Louisiana Education more confusion for me. If I did not care about each person who is a child being abused by Louisiana Education, I would stop trying to follow this mess.

Public works on private property (Page 1B). What? Suddenly uphold the law? That’s criminal in any government, let alone Louisiana.

Prison reform (Page 1A). I hope someone in the legislature or administration will add a bill to create mental-health services for people who commit crimes under that influence. Mental impairment is as much a disadvantage as substance abuse. Also, pure mental patients and their care takers should not have to put up with known criminals.

Phil Beaver does not “know”. Phil trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered and some is understood. Phil Beaver is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, an education non-profit. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.